Redecoration Project Update - Week 1 Special Edition

We are pleased to report that we are making significant progress in the preparatory work included in Phase 1A of our church redecorating project, For Such a Time as This. Work began on Monday, July 15th, and we have made significant progress, as you can see from the accompanying photographs.

This work is focused on four (4) primary objectives…

• First, preparing the Nave for the continued celebration of weekend Masses in the main part of the church.
• Second, carefully and respectfully remove the old furnishings for safe storage.
• Third, creating a floor level that will be used for the scaffolding and lifts when installing the new lighting
• Fourth, establishing the floor plan for infrastructure wiring to include A/V, etc. and taking the necessary measurements to cut the marble 

Through the efforts of many, our first objective, to have the church ready for Mass this weekend, has been accomplished. By removing some pews to O’Hagan Hall and relocating the Altar, the Tabernacle, and a few other furnishings to the church, it is now ready to greet parishioners this weekend. (Please note that the area behind the curtain is a construction site and, therefore, not open to the public).

As promised, we are continuing to consider how to repurpose some of the church furnishings. Here is a photo of the Crucifix, which has been relocated to the reception area of the office/rectory (it still has to be permanently affixed to the wall). Thank you to longtime parishioner Bill Horak for the thoughtful suggestion!

In these photos you can see that we have encountered some grim reminders of our past and experienced some surprises. As many of you know, Sacred Heart was firebombed on June 4, 1978. You can see visual evidence of this in the blackened, not burned, floor joists and bricks near where the Altar was located. We will be writing a more detailed communication about that event soon as it is a larger part of our history.

Another surprise for many was the location of a safe in the old marble tabernacle stand and the type of brick construction typical of that era. It was not stand-alone furnishing, as might have been expected. The safe was likely once used for storing the weekly collections and important church artifacts.

You will notice that the capitals on the columns near the old tabernacle stand and baldachin are damaged, probably from when those furnishings were installed. These will be restored as part of the project. You can also see that during different eras, they were white and later painted with the gold we see today.

Other furnishings are being readied for storage or in some cases refurbishment as they are designated for re-use either in the St. Peter Chanel Adoration Chapel or elsewhere.

We will be providing weekly updates on the project by email with more images and more detail.

Our goal is to create a welcoming environment that supports the various liturgies that occur within it, is balanced and appropriate for a Basilica, follows current liturgical guidelines, and respects the history of Sacred Heart.